Tips to reduce your waste
Although more waste than usual is generated at this time of year, there's an easy way you can help. Simply recycling more of the right things will make a huge difference to the environment. It's cheaper and more carbon efficient for your local council to process recycling than rubbish. Here's a quick reminder of what can go in your recycling.
Paper and cardboard
Paper, card, catalogues, brochures, magazines, newspapers, envelopes, cardboard boxes and food packing sleeves. This also includes festive wrapping paper, cards and gift tags without glitter/foil/plastic/batteries.
Plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays
Empty plastic food packaging such as brandy sauce pots, ready meal trays, Christmas pudding and ice cream tubs, detergent and shampoo bottles. Just rinse them clean first.
Metal food tins and drinks cans
Empty soup tins, festive assortment biscuit tins, drinks cans.
Glass bottles and jars
Empty and clean mincemeat, cranberry sauce and pickle jars, bottles of festive celebration drinks.
Recycle separately
Small electricals and batteries, clothes, shoes and accessories, sheets, duvet and pillowcases – most areas offer weekly collections.
Food waste goes in your caddy for recycling, collected weekly. Garden waste subscribers are provided with a separate bin.
You can also follow .
More hints and tips
- Swap to reusable items wherever possible. You could try travel cups, drinking bottles, cloth nappies, beeswax wraps for food storage, reusable make-up removers, bamboo toothbrushes. Find out more using the .
- Save bows and ribbons for other occasions. They cannot go in your recycling.
- Plan food shops and party food in advance to avoid overbuying and use a . Freeze extra food for later, read our .
- Get more meals for your money, try some of our to transform uneaten food.
- Keep unrecyclable items out of the recycling bin as they could cause the whole truckload of recycling to be rejected. If in doubt, do a quick search on the .
To find out more, visit the .
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